Sunday, April 1, 2012

birthday

yesterday was my thirtieth (3-0! bah!) birthday. I have been continually flip-flopping between 30 just being another number, and having mini anxiety attacks around the stigma of this new chapter. I had a mellow day filled with lots of wonderful messages of love from all over the place. Birthdays have never really been a big production for me, so it was fitting (yet enjoyable) to spend my day sipping coffee, wandering around shops with my sweet friend Holly, and eating whatever struck me as sounding delicious (including far too many strawberry marshmallow cupcakes delivered by my evil evil bff, Stephanie!)

In November, I made a '30 before 30' list - 30 things I wanted to achieve before my 30th birthday. Here is how things ended up looking.

Green = Complete!Red = Not so much.

1. visit my naturopath
I have an appointment for next Thursday (so I am counting this as a complete!)

2. find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe
While visiting New Brunswick in January, it dawned on me that Jeff's moms chocolate chip recipe is just that - PERFECT! And its been right under my nose this whole time!

3. plan a monthly potluck dinner with my bestest friends
This is my proudest accomplishment! We have literally gotten together EVERY month since I wrote this!

4. make jeff a new favourite mug in my pottery class
This might not be totally true. I made Jeff a mug, but haven't given it to him yet. It also may not actually end up being his favourite (but I'm sure he will tell me otherwise.)

5. spend 7 days without eating gluten, dairy or sugar (i know 7 days isn't very long, but i REALLY love cheese. and sugar.)
Made it 3. :(

6. have a night away, just jeff and ISaint John was just lovely!

7. send someone a surprise in the mail
I hope it actually made it... I was a little unsure about the address still being current, but fingers crossed!

8. hang out with my brother more- arrange a coffee date at least once per month.
I think I probably saw my brother even less than in months past - he spent a lot of time skiing over the winter which often lead to missed sunday dinners. This is one I will keep working on though.

9. list our condo
We decided to put this on hold until after the wedding. One thing at a time. :)

12. take finn ice skating (or drag him behind me in his sled)We just barely had winter here resulting in very few skating opportunities. i know - excuses excuses.
13. watch all of the twilight movies
I tried SO hard to watch these but i just couldn't stay interested.

14. eat at notableand ox and angela
one but not the other.

15. get a tattoo (related to finn)
still something that will happen. Jeff is trying to convince me that the pink heart drawn on my hand should count as a last ditch effort, but i am trying to be honest here. :)

16. be more assertive, honest and forth coming
obviously this is a life long process, but i really think i have made a big effort to do these things. especially in my work life.

17. volunteer with a local community group or charityDid some volunteer work (and will likely do some more) with our community garden project!

Finn at the Community Garden Site tour

18. (finally) open my etsy shop
big boo for me.

19. buy myself something beautiful and totally impractical
Jeff and I decided to buy me a new engagement ring. my first ring was (of course) so beautiful and beyond perfect, however it ended up being quite fragile. So this week, we picked up my new (sturdier) ring! I didn't think I could love anything more than my first ring, but this is a very close second!

20. floss my teeth every day
check!

21. slow down, give thanks and express genuine gratitude for every blessing i am given in life
this one is tough... again, a life long process, and i would say i consciously gave more gratitude for many things, but EVERY blessing? I am pretty sure that didn't happen. orange = half points.

22. put plans into motion to start a 'random acts of community' project
Yes! this was super fun!

23. visit jeff's amazing family in new brunswick
such a wonderful trip!

24. do 30 consecutive push-ups
I am basically superman now.

25. sign up for a cob building class with dirt craft
happening June 6th with two of my favourite pals!

27. work on being more patient. try to pause and have more thoughtful reactions to things that can sometimes annoy me
more orange - I have definitely made a conscious effort in many scenarios, but I can also clearly recall moments where I was a little nuts.

Happy, happy 30th birthday! My husband turns 30 this year (and I have just a wee 2 years to go), but I have been trying to figure out the best method of celebrating for him. Love your list. And, I think you accomplished quite a bit between November and now. way to go!

thanks julia! celebrations can be tricky but im sure you will come up with something just perfect!! ps - i had to remove your old blog banner - the image 'expired' and i couldnt find the original i had made to repost it, so definitely send me a new one when you get a sec!

HELLO FRIENDS!i'm jessica. mama, bread baker, guerrilla gardener, plastic avoider, tv killer and small time blogger. here you will find little bits of our everyday adventures, a few crafts and diy projects, yummy food, and all of the things i love most in this world. thanks for stopping by! xo